Squam Lakes Brewery with Pictures

[Boar Beer]

ya it does look odd. but its almost the same size as the Stout tank

 

[ScubaSteve]

Wow...I doubt that came from Blichmann...lol! FWIW, you might be onto something....with multiple larg(er) fermenters, you can be more flexible. Of course, a giant fermenter/kettle would allow you to really get the flagship beer into every store in the state.

 

[day_trippr]

That is pretty cool.

Cheers!

 

[Boar Beer]

Wow...I doubt that came from Blichmann...lol! FWIW, you might be onto something....with multiple larg(er) fermenters, you can be more flexible. Of course, a giant fermenter/kettle would allow you to really get the flagship beer into every store in the state.

Actually they did come from Blichmann. Its a new product and we are probably the first to get them.

 

[Boar Beer]

Ok I need some ideas on how to monitor the temperature in this new conical.

 

[daksin]

Would check out the networked monitor powered by an arduino. Great little writeup over at http://fuzzelogicbrewing.blogspot.com/2013/02/arduino-real-time-fermentation.html. Very handy.

 

[Boar Beer]

Thanks daksin will check it out

 

[Boar Beer]

4 more to fill up and then we start bottling/kegging

 

[Boar Beer]

Just ordered a CDN digital thermomenter from BobbyM Its the type you stick the probe on the side of the Conical. I will give it a try before drilling a hole in these nice conicals.

 

[limulus]

Just ordered a CDN digital thermomenter from BobbyM Its the type you stick the probe on the side of the Conical. I will give it a try before drilling a hole in these nice conicals.

I have the same one. I bought it from Amazon but bought my stainless parts from Bobby. I use mine in a 40-plate heat exchanger.

 

[kombat]

Just found this thread. Amazing!

One question I have: Earlier on, you mentioned you were simply dumping your spent grains in your backyard (I'm assuming you have a large property). Is that still the case, or have you devised another way of getting rid of them? Is it a problem hauling them out to the (pile? pit? ditch?) in the winter? Do you just use a simple wheelbarrow for this?

 

[Boar Beer]

Kombat

We have developed a relationship with a local farmer who takes the spent grain and feeds it to his cattle. I tried to compost it but a huge pile of spent grain just would not break down. The only good way would be to spread it like manure and plow it in.
The best part of the deal is i get several loads of good manure to use in our vegetable garden

 

[Boar Beer]

General up date

We are being shipped our 3bbl BK and MT and should have them next week. will post pictures when they come in.

 

[Helly]

Awesome work gentlemen. I love the thread and I wish you great luck and continued success.

 

[owentp]

Is that food safe? I want to do something like this. DO you know what the rating is.....HDPE, Level 1, 2, etc?

 

[Boar Beer]

owentp
The new brew equipment is all Stainless Steal so its all food grade.
If you are asking about the Rubbermaid barrels they are all food grade also

 

[tommyguner03]

awesome set up!! jealous as heck!! great work guys.. if and when i head out east I'll have to look out for your brew on the market

 

[Boar Beer]

more pictures to come
3bbl Stout BK and MT hope to run first batch this week

 

[njenabnit]

Very nice! I know that early on, you (or your son) talking about this venture not being more profitable than the old job. Has that changed at this point?

 

[oneandahalfshepherds]

Greetings and good luck,

Josh from Nashua NH

 

[owentp]

I have adopted your Brute MLT idea. Using the pex tubing as my false bottom also. How do you attach your element to the other Brute for your HLT? Do you use a HERMS to keep your mash temp within range?

 

[Boar Beer]

I have adopted your Brute MLT idea. Using the pex tubing as my false bottom also. How do you attach your element to the other Brute for your HLT? Do you use a HERMS to keep your mash temp within range?

Owentp
We used a ss 1 bbl Blichmann brew kettle with 2 elements and two Brutes. We brewed using the standard simple method. That is we used one Brute as a HLT and one Brute as a MT using only the BK to make Hot water and brewing. Using the Burte we found very little mash temp drop during the one hour mash. Even today using a 3 bbl system we use this simple method. I know you see lots of HERMS systems but if your grain bed is over 50 lbs it holds its temp very well and I am a firm believer in KISS

 

[owentp]

Thx for the reply. How did you attach an element to your HLT brute?

 

[Boar Beer]

We did not use an element in the Brute. just elements in the SS brew kettle.

 

[owentp]

Confused then how it is an HLT then. Isnt the theory behind that to keep it heated for strike & sparge water?

 

[owentp]

Sorry....didnt see your reference to bk for strike/sparge water & boiling. So you basically use brute hlt to hold sparge water to pump wort into bk......right?

 

[Boar Beer]

yes that is how we do it and I would say that it is the most common way to brew. Even though you see lots of fancy stuff on this site the basic and easiest way is the way we do it. We heat the water hotter than what is required and then use cold water to drop the temp for mashing in and for sparging.

 

[owentp]

Did you insulate the MT at all? How much temp loss would you see? Did you open the top to stir? I live this method. Currently i am going to go w/the no sparge (all water) in the brute mt & recirculate through a HERMS coil in my bk.

 

[Boar Beer]

If you have a small grain bed like 10 to 15 lbs then maybe you want to use an insulated MT. The cooler is what most people use for the MT and that is how we started out. But as i said before once you get a large mass of grains it is less important.

 

[owentp]

Thx. Looking at 15 gal batches w/46 lbs so i should be ok.